Happy New Year! Welcome to the dawning of the post pandemic era – January 1, 2023. THINK about it, 2023 is the first year since 2019 that has opened with the air of “normalcy”. But… we enter 2023 changed in many ways over how we exited 2019 and entered 2020, the year that saw the world shut down.
In 2020 we were all reduced to figuring out how to survive through the pandemic (the lowest level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid). But sadly, many of our beloved friends and family members did not make it. From that alone, we have been changed.
In an article published by Web MD – The Pandemic has Changed Us, Permanently – https://www.webmd.com/special-reports/covid-second-anniversary/20220120/how-we-changed, Nick Tate states that “the pandemic brought many once-in-a-lifetime changes to everyday life that will become the "new normal" for millions in the U.S. and around the globe. In some cases, those changes were positive. For others, not so much…”
Winds of change like the following have emerged as 2023 dawns…
Stalling of the daily commute to work
Shift in the balance of power in the workplace
Changes in the way we enjoy and consume indoor entertainment
A shift to telemedicine as a primary channel for health care service delivery
The politicization of health
The insertion of alternative fact and misinformation into daily discourse on all levels
The polarization of world views that divide the nation, and the world in half
An acceleration of digital transformation for service delivery in every sector of our economy and daily lives
A fundamental rethinking and reshaping of our global supply chain
An accelerated shift to clean energy and EVs
Stock market upheavals erasing years of growth in 401K and other retirement portfolios
Fundamental reshaping of the residential real estate market as money has fled the stock market in favor of direct investment in real property. No longer are investors satisfied with investing in mortgages, but they now favor direct investment in the market, buying and selling single and multifamily homes in bulk, as a safer place to put their money. This has dramatically impacted individual families’ ability to purchase a home
And these are just some of the winds that have set the stage for the post-pandemic era. Overall, the pace of change has been, and will continue to be, mind-numbing.
So, as we enter 2023, we are stepping into an accelerating and rapidly transforming global economic context, rich with opportunities associated with the sunrise of new things, methods, and needs, while at the same time floating on a sea of uncharted waters full of land minds and obstacles…
Let me ask you a question - how are you going to capture the moment to not just navigate through these changing times, but to command the journey to create your optimized future? I would like to suggest that in order to do so you must master the fine art of goal setting and execution.
What exactly do I mean? In my podcast – Snap Yourself into a New Reality – (Spotify, Google, and Apple podcasts) I share more thoughts on this, but let’s get started here with a general frame.
What is a goal? A goal is simply a statement of what you want to have, be, do, or experience by a certain month/day/year on the calendar. Goals declare your desire to manifest your intention in reality by a specific future date. This is the first step in goal achievement. It requires you to possess the ability to look into the future, visualize a future reality, and capture that vision by writing it down as your intention today, so you can set about transmuting (or transforming) your intention into reality over time. In this way, and this way only, you can control and shape your future life experience (reality) into the shape of your desires.
Something else that is important to consider as you determine what goals to set is the totality of your life experience. You see, we live life concurrently in 8 areas 24/7/365. The areas are as follows:
1. Spiritual
2. Fitness & Health
3. Self-Improvement (Education, Personal Development, etc.)
4. Relationships
5. Vocation (Work, Career, Business)
6. Financial
7. Lifestyle
8. Re-Creation
For a detailed explanation of the eight areas of life check out my blog post here - https://www.snapyourselfintoanewreality.com/post/2020/01/11/eight-areas-of-life
It is important that you identify at least one goal for each of the 8 areas of life so that you can ensure symmetry and balance in your life going forward. This will lead to a richer, more satisfying life experience as you move through time accomplishing your goals.
Goal Execution. The second step in goal achievement is to create a written plan of action steps for each goal so that you can focus your energy to incrementally move yourself toward achievement. Action plans provide structure and elicit self-discipline in the way you invest your time each and every day. You see, failing to plan is planning to fail. By the way, this is where most people fail in goal achievement – failing to plan and carry out the steps of their plan daily. There is so much to unpack here that I have decided to devote season 2 of my podcast – Snap Yourself into a New Reality – to this process.
In closing let me say this… the time is now to begin shaping your future reality through goal setting and achievement. So, sit down today with pen and paper and start thinking about each one of the 8 areas of life mentioned above and identify a worth-while goal for each area that you can write down with a date by which you intend to accomplish it. Then, plan to tune into my podcast to begin your life transformation through goal achievement journey with me by learning the keys to goal planning and execution.